SPECIALTY FAQ

What is our specialty buying policy?

We believe in value for all parties in the supply chain. We will buy a coffee when we believe the money flows back to the right people in the correct quantities. Beyond that, our purchasing is based on demand from our customers and the quality in the cup. We aim to have a strong inventory of specialty coffees available at all times and we carry as diverse a range as possible, taking into account origin, processing methods, cup score and flavour profile.

How do we grade or score our coffees?

As supporters of the Q-grader system, we apply the SCAA standards to green grading. However, green grading does not always correlate with cup quality. There will be occasions where a coffee we stock does not meet SCAA green guidelines for specialty. If it tastes great, do you really care if it’s ugly?

How do we sample roast?

Our sample roasting process coincides with the SCAA sample roasting guidelines. We prefer to roast the coffee to full development but keep it light in order to ensure we can taste the inherent character of the coffee. We sample roast in our lab on both a Probat drum sample roaster and on a 1.5 kilo Giesen.

How do we price our specialty coffees?

How a coffee is priced, both at origin and out of our warehouse, depends on so many factors it is difficult to outline in brief. Generalities around cost of production do not always reflect the real life realities of individual producers. Our preference is to have an open and honest conversation with producers around their needs and negotiate prices based on the value the transaction brings for both parties.

What bag or box sizes do we ship in?

We only sell by the bag or box – we can’t break bags or boxes for orders less than this.

Bags:

60 KG – Brazil, Africa

69 KG – Central America

70 KG – Colombia

60 KG – Asia

Vac-Pac Boxes:

30 KG – Africa

34.5 KG – Central America

24 KG – Colombia

What are our payment terms?

Pro-forma for first three orders, after which point we give 30 day payment terms.

How to order?

You can order green and/or roasted samples of our specialty spot coffees here. There are no charges for sample orders, though we reserve the right to edit your basket subject to availability. We will always try to offer a replacement if we are out of stock of any coffee you require. If you would like larger quantities feel free to call us.

We can take and process orders over the phone. However, we can’t take payments over the phone – this must be done by BACS (banks assisted transfer).

Warehousing and haulage?

Our warehousing is done by Eniti (Bury St. Edmonds)

*All UK haulage is done by Eniti and invoiced separately by them to the customer.

European clients…

Exchange rate from pounds sterling to Euros is done on the date of invoicing. Due to the fluctuation in currency pricing, our offer list is therefore subject to change as a result. Once the order has been confirmed, the price is locked in.